This research paper, written by Faith Key at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte for Dr. Michael Kruger, investigates Mark 6:48–52 through the lens of Old Testament theology, revealing how Jesus’ actions upon the sea echo the divine self-disclosure of God in the Exodus narrative.
Key argues that Jesus’ words “ἐγώ εἰμι” (“I Am”) and His intention to “pass by” the disciples signify more than a miraculous rescue—they reveal His divine identity as YHWH, the covenant-keeping God who walks upon the waters and delivers His people from chaos. Drawing from linguistic, exegetical, and theological analysis, the paper demonstrates how this passage prefigures the New Exodus accomplished through Christ’s death and resurrection.
By connecting the walking-on-water narrative to the themes of deliverance, revelation, and hardened hearts, Key shows how Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus as the true “I Am” who conquers both physical and spiritual storms, fulfilling God’s redemptive promises in history.
Course and semester: NT5200 Gospels — Fall 2024